Life - The Ultimate Game (Blog)

[Savage]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

Life - The Ultimate Game

[geekchic9]

That was an excellent article. I always thought life was a game--a game I ought to win, every time. Needless to say, this led to some very boring games, as I was afraid to tackle things that were more challenging.

Now, after reading the article, I realize that life is supposed to be fun and challenging. It won't be fun and challenging all the time, but if I'm not doing something I enjoy or something that will challenge me, it doesn't seem like a worthwhile game. No wonder why I feel depressed so often. I am a noob at the game of life.

Thanks, Steve, for teaching me a lesson.

[Calculusaurus]

For example, if I experience a financial setback, it’s not a big deal because money is nothing but a game world resource. It’s just game gold, something that can always be replenished with hard work and creativity. And figuring out how to earn more gold is a fun challenge, full of compelling choices.

I feel silly saying this, but when I played MMORPGs I took upon this exact attitude. In Lineage 2, it is very, very hard to make money, and you need a ton of it if you want to be any good. Well, I was one of the few who managed to come by money a lot easier than most people. This is because whenever I'd experience an in-game financial setback, I'd simply find a new, more creative source of income.

I would spend spend spend, but always with the idea that I could always find some way to make it back -- somehow... eventually; the details didn't matter. But my mind was always focused on making money. It was a challenge that I loved to overcome.

What's funny is that the conservative spenders in the game were the worst at making money. They did what they *thought* was the best way to be rich -- be conservative -- but they always had the most typical, mundane ways of generating income, and as a result, were never very rich.

It's amazing that we're so scared to take that mindset into the real world. When you think about it, there shouldn't be any reason not to.

[Jill]

In many ways I do think life is a game.

My husband had this theory once that perhaps before we come into this life, we are basically somewhere else (heaven?) where it's just this this big arcade. We say, hey...let's play the "Earth Game" (or whatver). Then you pick your difficulty level, put your quarters in and VROOOOOM...transported into some woman's womb.

Why not?

And it would explain why some people's lives are more difficult than others. Perhaps they chose "expert" mode?

(I musta chose "easy" mode or something...although I'm scared to say that!)

[richie]

hey anyone ,please tell me where can i get the cheat codes of this biggest game :life
excellent post steve

[Frans]

If you find yourself in a human body, you came here to play the game of human life. Don’t sit on the sidelines whining like a noob. The truth is that if you lose all your gold, if your teammates dump you, or if your character gets infected by the plague, it’s all part of the game. Every setback initiates another round of compelling choices. The game isn’t supposed to be fair — it’s supposed to be fun and interesting. Whether or not you have a fun and interesting experience largely depends on what kind of player you are.

Well written, but you can only write this when you're in a state where everything goes the way you like it.

You'll only know for yourself what kind of player you are when the time comes that you "lose all your gold", "your teammates dump you", or "your character gets infected by the plague".

[JBRU]

Originally Posted by richie

hey anyone ,please tell me where can i get the cheat codes of this biggest game :life
excellent post steve

I'd be happy to just have the walk-through.

[Rocket Surgery]

Originally Posted by richie

hey anyone ,please tell me where can i get the cheat codes of this biggest game :life
excellent post steve

For cheat codes in the game of "Human Life" visit:

Law of Attraction :: The Secret :: Official Web Site of The Secret Movie

Placebo wrote:

There is no save game option in life. We can't go back to the time when everything was fine cause time is not waiting for anyone. And that is making everything much more difficult than it should be

Of course there is. It's called MEMORY. All experience is saved within the memory of the OUC.

In a game -- if you are wise -- you save often, so that if your character is killed, you can pick up close to where you left off. Since the theory of subjective reality is that we are all in reality just different points of experience of the OUC -- i.e. "the player," -- how can you be certain that you have NOT IN FACT DIED several times already, even within this current lifetime?

In computer games, your character has no "memory" of its demise when you respawn it; so why should our earth suit egos be any more conscious if such an event has occurred? From our perspective, we simply make a choice, but in reality perhaps the OUC who directs our "play" is actually making a different choice from the previous one that led to our death. We don't remember this because we are, of course, the OUC now playing a saved copy where we haven't yet died, and in fact, do not die due to an alternate path chosen to avoid same. The OUC remembers, but that is our higher self, and not our current egoic personality, the version currently being played that was saved prior to the death and therefore never experienced it.

If this is truly all an illusion projected from the Mind of the OUC, then there's nothing to prevent an infinite number of "saved games" -- see "life recordings in space-time" -- from being created on an "as needed" basis.

Steve Pavlina says:

The limit of the game analogy is that if you take it too far, you can become apathetic. I.e. what does life matter if it's only a game? Who cares if I hurt someone if it's only a game character?

Well, if one accepts the concept of subjective reality, then of course we care because the character we hurt is really ourselves. We understand that every character is a work in progress of our own making, and thereby understand its value, regardless of its illusory nature.

I "lost" myself in the game Diablo II for over a year, and built up an account of what I considered to be quite valuable characters. They were not real people like me, but they were CREATIONS of mine that I invested much time in building. When I was tired of the game, I still felt my characters had value, and indeed they did since I sold them on eBay for over $50 bucks! But the memory and experience gained by playing them transfers to my current "real" life and gaming life even now.

When one invests much time into any personal creation that is an expression of our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, etc., then said creations have inherent value be they paintings, songs, game characters or even forum postings.

I've read many accounts on this forum of how much a member has gotten from a certain thread here and there. So a game character is so much more than what it seems. It's truly another valuable expression of the OUC, and since that's all of us, we all -- if at least a tad enlightened -- should be able to respect that and assign it appropriate value.

BTW, Steve, great article!

~ RS

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Jill

In many ways I do think life is a game.

My husband had this theory once that perhaps before we come into this life, we are basically somewhere else (heaven?) where it's just this this big arcade. We say, hey...let's play the "Earth Game" (or whatver). Then you pick your difficulty level, put your quarters in and VROOOOOM...transported into some woman's womb.

Guess what? Your husband would be right. Kind of.

You can read Dr Brian Weiss's books on past life regression hypnosis. Where he takes patients not just to their past lives, but to their past deaths ... and what happens shortly after those deaths.

I shall not tell you more. Don't wanna spoil the fun for you. Go get those books.

[Paul C]

I've had this idea in the past as well, but was never game enough to apply it completely to my life situation. But that was then and this is now.

Being a ex-roleplayer myself, I can understand quite well the comparison between certain mindsets that people adopt when playing a game, especially when resources and character levels are involved.

And yes, it's very ironic how many of us can put so much effort into a virtual avatar, but not allowing our living one the same oppourtunity of growth (hopefully not by killing and looting small critters ).


I feel my perspective of the world has experienced some more positive change, thank you.

Originally Posted by Jill

In many ways I do think life is a game.

My husband had this theory once that perhaps before we come into this life, we are basically somewhere else (heaven?) where it's just this this big arcade. We say, hey...let's play the "Earth Game" (or whatver). Then you pick your difficulty level, put your quarters in and VROOOOOM...transported into some woman's womb.

Why not?

I really don't see why not, either. Biggest and greatest RPG of all!

[BobbiDrake]

Fantastic blog post. It's absolute synchronicity for me, because Sunday I was just thinking about a friend that has become lost to all his friends. His life is one of those subscription RPGs (when he's not at work...and even sometime then), and I believe he's withdrawn from the rest of us because he feels that life is bigger than him. But then, haven't we all at one point or another?

Thanks!

[DarkStalker]

Next time I'll pay more attention choosing my difficulty level GRRR!

[Andrew Brunelle]

I found this post to be one of the most inspiring on the entire website. It's the culmination that life is supposed to be both fun and challenging and force you to grow. It's a lifelong game, filled with "compelling choices" and varous opportunities. It's about enjoying life, the ultimate game.

[helgi]

I agree. It sets the paradigm for everything else related to personal development

[Shaden]

I'd be happy to just have the walk-through.

Write it yourself!